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Australia
This is the article about the Federation. For the article on the geographic continent, see Australia (continent) The Australian Federation, or simply Australia, is a loose federation of countries located on the geographic continent of the same name. Discovered by Roman explorer Publius Demarcus and gradually colonized by the Romans shortly thereafter, it remained in Roman hands until the Great Australian War (1802-06), when the continent passed on to the British. Though the country stayed under British control for over a century thereafter, the locals never warmed to the British and were constantly in revolt against British rule. Mahatma Gandhi, an ethnic Gujarati who lived in Australia, led a campaign of civil disobedience through the 1920s and 1930s with the intent of gaining freedom for Australia. Gandhi's murder in 1940 (which as of 2019 is unsolved) allowed the Japanese to occupy Australia until 1951, when combined Roman and American forces eventually evicted the Japanese forces. The Cold War saw Australia remain divided into several small republics that were influenced either by The Roc or by Roman or American interests, with the Soviets and later Virtue taking over for The Roc in the 1970s. The landmark Treaty of Buffalo called for the formation of an Australian federation following joint peacekeeping operations by Rome and Virtue. These operations were complete in May 2017, which allowed Rome and Virtue to declare an Australian Federation with its capital at Gotham in Shark Bay. Acceptance of the Federation has been lukewarm at best across the continent, with the richer areas along the coast more readily buying in than the remote areas of the interior. Still, the effort by Rome and Virtue to unite Australia has been met with praise, not just because it is an actual symbol of peace between the two warring factions but also because this effort of unification has been better organized than previous attempts. At A Glance Nation Name: The People's Federation of Australia Demonym: Australian Capital: Gotham Independence: October 19, 1952 (declaration of independence from Britain and nominal establishment of the Republic), May 14, 2017 (firm establishment of the Republic following peacekeeping operations conducted by both Rome and Virtue) Population: (see list of countries by GDP) Official Language: English Government Type: Parliamentary democracy Head of State: President Pancratius Danilis "Daniel Duke" Ducatus Head of Government: President Daniel Duke, Prime Minister Oswald Cobblepott Official Religion: None Largest Religion: Jovianism, Petrine Catholicism, Anglicanism, Nathanism Economy Type: Free market capitalist Currency: Australian dollar (A$1=US$1.25) Constitution: Yes Summer Time: No Calling Code: +61 Internet TLD: .aus Maritime Boundary (nm): 24 Aircraft Code: AUS Military Strength: 2% of the population Military Capability Score (out of 100, rating by Worldwide Defence Trade Association (WDTA)): 85 (Good) Technological Innovation Score: Military (WDTA): 80/100 (Good), Scientific (University poll): 80/100 (Good), Other (University poll): 90/100 (Strong) Economic Rating (by Standard & Poor): 90/100 (Very Strong). Most of the country is prosperous, though some pockets of deeply impoverished areas remain. (See list of countries by GDP) Economic Freedom Index (by Standard & Poor): 95/100 (mostly free- only basic restrictions placed on business practices) Health Care Rating (by Doctors Without Borders): 60/100 (Average) Health Care System: Market-based Political Freedom Index (by Reporters Without Borders): 70/100 (political discourse is allowed though it is tightly monitored, though government censorship of the media is not common) Drug Laws: All except coffee, alcohol and cigarettes are banned. Gun Control: Only those in a law enforcement, the Army or other governmental role can legally obtain and use a gun, in practice, the state is one of the leaders in the "gun trade" and the government turns a blind eye to this. Environmental Policy Rating (by Greenpeace): 40/100 (some attention paid to environmental concerns, though this takes a back seat to economic interests) National overview Australia is a resource rich nation which has, for decades, been divided by world powers who sought to claim the continent for themselves. Many decades of war have ripped at the very fabric of Australian society, destroying it to such a point that the nation is deeply divided into hundreds of smaller local governments. This has had a devastating effect on economic development and, as such, exploitation of Australia's vast resources has been underwhelming. Nevertheless, there are signs that Australia's situation is improving. The joint operation by Rome and Virtue, Operation Southern Freedom, saw many of Australia's militias defeated and dismantled, so much so that none are capable of ruling a territory by themselves. Infrastructure improvements have also helped bring Australia closer together, as it has allowed more communities to be able to exploit Australia's wealth. More improvements are forthcoming, meaning Australia's already fast growing economy has the potential to soar even higher in the coming decades. Whether or not the "Australian Experiment" (as the joint venture between Rome and Virtue is being called) will actually work is a matter of fierce debate, as acceptance of the Federation has not been universal and there are always fears that a new militia may arise that will upset the fragile order within Australia and send it back to the anarchy it had just left. Nevertheless, there is reason for hope in Australia for the first time in decades, renewing excitement in the territory. Government Australia's government is outlined by the Constitution of Australia, which was put into place shortly following the end of peacekeeping operations in 2017. The Constitution outlines that the head of Australia's government is the President, followed by the Prime Minister (PM) and the PM's ministers. The Constitution can only be amended via an 80% vote in Parliament. Australia's government is officially a parliamentary republic. At the top is the President. The President's duties are to approve or veto legislation passed by Parliament, as well as to appoint the members of the Australian Supreme Court and essentially act as Australia's foreign minister. The President also oversees Parliamentary sessions, maintaining order within Parliament and ensuring that proper procedure is followed. Only the President can call or suspend Parliament, as well as order a new election for the ridings in Parliament or remove Members of Parliament (MPs). The President cannot enact laws by themselves (except in matters of national emergency), but they can present legislation to Parliament. The President serves, like Parliament does, for four years, though the first President will serve for six years so that the next Presidential election occurs two years after the next Parliamentary vote. This way, every two years the electorate will either vote for Parliament or the President, ensuring there is always continuity in government. The President is determined by a national popular vote, in which the winning candidate simply needs the highest amount of votes cast in that election to gain the Presidency. Anyone who is an Australian citizen can run for President, and anyone can be President as long as they keep winning elections. Technically, all that is needed to remove the President is the approval of legislation calling for the President's ouster. However, since the President has the right to veto legislation, practically speaking that legislation would need to pass the 80% vote threshold in Parliament- enough to override a Presidential veto- in order to remove the President before a Presidential election. After the President is Parliament, elected via a mixed member-proportional system. In this system, Australia's 20 states are each divided into three different territories or ridings, with each riding representing a third of the state's population. One Member of Parliament (MP) represents a riding, with the member winning their seat simply by winning the most votes in the riding during the election. This gives Parliament an initial makeup of 60 seats. A further 25 seats are determined by the national popular vote, with seats allocated based on the percentage of votes a political party received during the election (for example, if a party received 40% of the vote, they would receive 10 seats under this system, as 100% divided by four is 25 so 40% divided by four is 10). Anyone can run to become a MP as long as they are Australian citizens, and MPs can serve as long as they keep winning elections for their seat, or are nominated by their political party to fill a seat assigned to the party via that party's proportion of the national popular vote. These MPs are determined solely at the discretion of the party leader, who also makes the ultimate determination for those who will run for election in the ridings. Following the election, Parliament then holds a vote to determine the PM, though this vote is usually a formality since the winning party will simply vote to appoint their leader as PM (unless their leader did not win their seat, which is rare). The only exception is when the winning party does not have a majority of the seats, in which Parliament has to find a MP who could win a simple majority of the votes for PM. If Parliament cannot decide on a PM, the President can nominate one or call another election. Once decided, the PM's job is simply to appoint other government ministers. Technically, the PM is just a title bestowed upon a MP, as their functions are no different than other MPs. Practically speaking, the PM sets the Parliamentary agenda and uses their influence to amend or create legislation. The PM also acts as the official Parliamentary liaison to the President. Any MP may introduce legislation with the potential to become law, in which it is put towards a vote. An 80% majority vote is enough to pass the legislation into law outright. Otherwise, legislation needs a simple majority in order to pass its way on to the President's desk, where the President either approves or vetoes the legislation. If legislation is vetoed, Parliament can either scrap the legislation or vote on it again (usually after amending it). Should the legislation pass the 80% threshold, it becomes law without needing the President's input. Otherwise the President can veto the legislation again, and the President can veto the same legislation no matter how many times Parliament passes it on to them. Lastly is the Supreme Court. Made of nine members, the Australian Supreme Court is the highest court in Australia. All nine members serve at the whims of the President, who can remove and appoint members at will. To prevent abuse, should a court challenge be brought up against the President, judges cannot be removed until the case is heard, and Parliament can reappoint a judge via legislation (particularly ones that override a President's veto), though Parliament can only reappoint a judge for a year. At the state level, the government format is the same, although instead of having a president states have Governors. Each state is further divided into 60 ridings of their own- based on population- with elections and state Parliaments and judiciaries operating in the same manner as the national systems. Politics Vying for the seats in Parliament and the Presidency are multiple political parties in Australia. To gain election to a government position one does not need to be part of a party, but those who are members of a party have better chances since their party helps them with the promotion and exposure needed to gain votes. There are three main political parties in Australia: # Australian Party- the party of the current President, Daniel Duke, who is also the Party leader. After the 2019 election, the AP gained 60 of the 85 available seats, giving it control of both Parliament and the Presidency. They are known for their decidedly pro-capitalist and libertarian policies, as their first budget officially removed all taxes, welfare services and almost all restrictions on businesses and established a broad system of fees and levies for usage of government services, such as national highways and educational institutions. They draw most of their support amongst the upper and middle classes, as the lower classes are decidedly in opposition of their policies. Their deputy leader is also the PM, Oswald Cobblepott. # The Southern Labourers' Party- the second party in Parliament, with 13 seats. As their name implies they receive the bulk of their support in the southern areas of the country, such as Perth and Adelaide, though they have a national presence. Most of their support comes from the "working poor" and are the party of choice of many trade unions. They are a direct contrast to the AP, as they believe in a more socialist form of government, wanting to restore taxes on the upper classes, establish tighter rules on businesses to help the poor, remove fees for essential government services (such as transit and health care) and restore and expand welfare services. Their party leader is Varity Stevens. # The People's Party of Australia- the third party in Parliament, with 12 seats. They are a more national party than the SLP but their policies are almost identical to the SLP. The only real difference that the PPA have with the SLP is that the PPA want to nationalize almost all of Australia's businesses and impose severe tariffs on foreign companies. There have been calls for the PPA and the SLP to merge, as many observers believe that vote splitting allowed the AP to win, though neither party has shown interest in merging. Society The main feature of Australian society is the ubiquity of its prostitution industry, which in the country is known as the "matchmaking business" where Australians literally buy their spouses or simply a date. It is not known how the business networks began and very little is known about how they operate, but it is believed they were instituted by Birean businessmen as Birea has a similar network- the only difference is, in Australia, both genders are represented roughly equally in their matchmaking business. In December 2019, President Duke approved a law expanding the concept to include other kinds of businesses, allowing people to sell themselves to someone else in exchange for the buyer providing them with food and shelter. Duke passed the law as a way of solving the country's poverty crisis, calling the concept "voluntary serfdom" to differentiate it- in his mind- from slavery, which Duke asserts is involuntary. Critics of voluntary serfdom argue it's no different than actual slavery and the operation of the institution will be the same. See also * Gotham, Australia's capital. Category:Nations of Vicendum